Friday, May 28, 2010

“Kids needs to unplug, commune with nature” plus 2 more

“Kids needs to unplug, commune with nature” plus 2 more

Kids needs to unplug, commune with nature

Posted: 28 May 2010 04:10 AM PDT

By Carrie Sturrock, Special to The Oregonia...

May 28, 2010, 4:00AM
Searching for four-leaf clovers.

Neighborhood games of kick the can.

Hopscotch.

So fun, so easy, so free-of-charge.

But our kids are out of the habit of playing outdoors. The average American child age 8-18 spends more than 7 hours daily in front of screens -- television, video games and cell phones, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study.

Oregon's lawmakers got so worried about it they passed legislation to create the No Oregon Child Left Inside task force in 2009 to develop an environmental literacy plan to help educators and parents get kids outside more. There's also a push at the federal level to create a fund to support environmental education.

It's a topic dear to many Portlanders. The new independent film "Play Again" had people sitting in the aisles to watch the documentary about six teenagers who unplugged for their first wilderness adventure, going with Portland-based TrackersNW into the wilds of Oregon.

The Norwegian-born director, Tonje Hessen Schei, who sends her two children to Sunnyside Environmental School, stitched together a disturbing portrait of childhood dominated by entertainment media. In one of the more jarring scenes, very small children readily identify corporate logos of Apple computers, Target and McDonalds, but when shown a dandelion puff ball, they struggle, tentatively suggesting "A wish flower?"

What does it mean when children don't experience and understand nature at a time when they're about to inherit some pretty serious environmental problems?

"Even living here in Portland, a beautiful, green city, I've been surprised at how kids aren't really playing outside and how they're supervised constantly and driven places by an adult," says Schei. "They're inside in front of the screens because we're afraid of letting them out."

She doesn't advocate allowing young children to freely roam the streets, but suggests that perhaps parents can find a better balance and ask themselves: when do we feel comfortable letting our kids out and how can we better assist them in getting outside?

The World Wildlife Federation suggests pitching a tent just steps from your door as part of the sixth annual Great American Backyard Campout June 26. Enjoying nature doesn't have to mean a state park or camping in the wilds. Backyards are great places to explore nature, especially in lush Oregon. I have two Douglas Firs, sage and bamboo in mine but there must be a dozen other plants I can't yet name.

In an upcoming report called "Whole Child" the Kaiser Federation explores the link between sedentary lifestyles and increases in childhood obesity, ADHD and depression. It also touches on studies that show children who spend regular time outdoors do better academically.

"It really is an essential part of childhood for them to be given exposure to the outdoors," says Mary Burnette, associate director of communications for the foundation. Kids, she says, are extremely over scheduled after school with activities like band practice, cheer leading, soccer and debate club. And in the case of young children who can't be outside by themselves, Burnette said, sometimes parents do what's easiest and "plop them in front of the Wii."

Play Again doesn't condemn technology since Schei herself fully embraces her iPhone and computer and everything else she needs for her career. It's the amount of time children spend behind screens that concerns her. Like the teenagers in her documentary, some of whom spent more than half their waking time in front of screens.

Ashley Lindstedt, a seventh grader at Beaumont Middle School in Northeast Portland, considers her screen time pretty restricted. Her parents don't allow her to have an e-mail account or Facebook page and the only computer in the house is not in her room. But she texts roughly 500 times a month on her cell phone and watches some TV on the weekends and after finishing homework.

That's not insignificant, but I believe her when she says it pales compared to other kids at school. Ashley has never camped in the wild but she recently slept in a tent in a friend's backyard, much as the World Wildlife Federation suggests. She remembers waking up to the sound of birds, loving it.

Balance is key. The screens don't have to be abandoned completely but kids' experiences in nature need to be so engaging, they "won't need technology the way they need technology" now, says Dilafruz Williams, a Portland school board member and Portland State University professor who teaches a class on sustainability education and appeared in the film. She is working on a book about learning gardens that schools build curriculums around. Whether it's gardening or walking along the ocean, it's vital to explore the natural world and help children realize they're connected to it, she said.

In Play Again, Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, says, "Television tells you 24 hours a day 'You're the most important thing in the world.' And the natural world tells you just the opposite: 'You're a small part of something very large, something beautiful, something orderly, something meaningful, but you're not the center of it. I think people after a little while if they get to spend some time in it find it deeply liberating to not have to be the center of everything."

Inspired by the documentary, I recently ventured into the rain with my daughters to try and identify the flowers in my neighbor's beautiful wild yard using a laminated guide buried in a drawer since I bought it more than a year ago. We found Western Bleeding Heart and harebells and foxglove. It started raining harder but the girls resisted my suggestion to go back inside. They wanted to figure out what the flowers were. It was the best rainy day activity I can remember.

-- Carrie Sturrock

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Kids club tackling obesity

Posted: 27 May 2010 09:04 AM PDT

Nationwide, one in three children is overweight or obese. According to a recent study, the problem is hitting close to home. North Carolina has the 14th highest rate of overweight youth in the country. As a result, 33.5 percent of our kids are more likely to develop high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes.

At the Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County, we have a bird's eye view of this epidemic. We serve more than 1,200 children each year, and an estimated 25 percent of them are overweight. Another 25 percent are at-risk for becoming overweight.

At the Boys & Girls Club, we are committed to being part of the solution with a simple, two-pronged approach: we serve healthy food and get the kids moving.

Our strategy might not be revolutionary, but it creates a powerful paradigm shift that changes the way kids think about being healthy, explained Bonnie Gibson, club program director, K-5.

"We want to help kids understand that they're a whole person," Gibson said. "We want them to learn to care for every part of themselves, their minds, their hearts, their bodies. Being healthy is about being balanced. All of this helps them take on a more positive, active role in life."

One critical element is keeping kids in motion. According to the CDC, daily participation in school physical education has languished dramatically in the past several decades. So, beginning this summer, the club's goal is to get members moving for at least 60 minutes every day.

The club is uniquely equipped for this task. A few weeks ago, our sports, fitness and recreation programs for youth were recognized by the Boys & Girls Club of America as being one of the top three programs in the country. We are thrilled to set the pace in this arena.

To accomplish this fitness goal, however, physical activity will be integrated into many elements of the day, not just confined to gym time. Summer field trips will emphasize hiking, climbing and swimming. Even transportation will be different. Outings within walking distance will be reached by foot -- as often as possible.

Josh Queen, club middle school director, added this approach to movement will reach every child -- not just those interested in athletics. "If you take a kid who doesn't like to exercise and put him in a smaller, noncompetitive environment, he is going to be more open to participating."

Our second strategy is healthy eating. In 2009, a total of 47,359 snacks were served to club members. From now on, these snacks will be predominantly healthy, whole-food items such as fresh and dried fruits, vegetables, lowfat cheese and yogurt, nuts and whole grain crackers instead of chips, cookies or candy.

Additionally, 13,011 free lunches and 3,661 free suppers were served to club members this past year. Thanks to community partners such as the Feed the Kids Coalition and the Henderson County Public Schools, we know that these meals are nutritionally sound.

Our focus on health and fitness is not a flash in the pan. It is policy change for the long haul. We believe good health is not a luxury item. And we believe our kids are worth it.

Just ask Rosa.

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Susan Dell: Kids Should Use Computers Less

Posted: 27 May 2010 08:33 AM PDT

There's a certain irony when the wife of one of the world's most successful tech moguls tells people to cut down on "screen time." But Susan Dell has strong opinions on the subject. An accomplished triathlete and philanthropist, she makes no bones about how sitting in front of computers and televisions diminishes your health. "I cut screen time down and my kids' grades went up dramatically," Dell says. And her husband Michael has to play by the same rules at home. "He gets a look if the Blackberry shows up where it shouldn't."

Susan Dell's been promoting the work of her family's $1.3 billion foundation, which is largely devoted to children's causes, especially health. She recently wrote a book called Be Well that collected the stories of 15 low-income mothers on how they improved their families' health through fitness and diet improvements. Over 600,000 copies have been given out for free in inner cities.

The book, available for free download at BeWellBook.org, is organized around five different healthy behaviors. Cutting screen time is one. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that kids shouldn't spend more than two hours a day in front of a television or computer. Dell's other themes are increasing exercise, eating more fruits and vegetables, skipping sweet beverages and avoiding high-density foods like french fries. Dell says she learned a lot of tips herself from interviewing the women featured in the book--who are at the extreme opposite end of the economic spectrum from herself. "I really enjoyed talking to them," she says.

One Harlem mother named Debra had a daughter suffering from malnutrition because of all the junk food she ate. After learning how to cook better she became the de facto chef for not only her own kid but another six kids in her apartment building. Debra told Dell: "I couldn't allow these children to eat poorly anymore. These kids were eating a steady diet of fried chicken wings from a takeout place, pork-fried rice, French fries, and soda. One mother fed her children that exact meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner for two whole years."

Dell is concerned that one in three kids in this country is overweight or obese. "We're an unhealthy country. People aren't taking responsibility for their own good health habits," she says. "Getting Type 2 diabetes will knock 19 years off your life."

Dell takes her own four kids to fitness events like the 5K, pictured below. And she tries to ride her bike wherever she can. "My husband rode his bike to work this morning," she says.

Dell's campaign coincides with what's become First Lady Michele Obama's signature issue to reduce childhood obesity. There are hints that the foundation and the White House may have some projects cooking, even though the Dells were major backers of George Bush and Susan served on his President's Council on Physical Fitness.

Since its inception the Dell Foundation has given away $650 million to groups like the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Dell, who competes internationally in cycling and triathlon races, says that her own interest in sports may have influenced her philanthropic priorities. She's especially excited about school-based wellness programs, like one in Austin called Marathon Kids that encouraged children, over the course of a year, to run 26.2 miles broken into smaller races.

As for future philanthropy Susan Dell says that she expects the foundation to keep focusing on children's issues. Her kids, who are still teenagers, will eventually play a bigger role in the family's philanthropy. "Michael and I are just getting started," she says.

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